making a stand
by F1G2K7B9
Summary: to save annabeth percy had to stay behind in tartarus, after 300 years in tartarus he's escaped with 10 others. Little do they know of how dangerous their actions are as they themselves try to piece there lives back together.
1. Rising

My body lay broken and contorted on the wet sand, my arms and legs felt like lead and every muscle fibre ached. Just breathing seemed a constant challenge. I opened my eyes to get a better look at my surroundings, big mistake. My vision filled with an all consuming bright white light as the sun burned at my retainers, instinctively I tried to shield my eyes with my hands but my arms refused to cooperate.

The effects of my time in tartarus were already becoming apparent. Over time my eyes had adapted to the dark depths of tartarus and now couldn't stand such brightness.

"Is… is anyone…" I tried in a raspy voice, my throat felt as though it were made of sandpaper and that it may collapse altogether if another syllable left my mouth.

Just to confirm my situation couldn't get any worse i could feel a steady stream of liquid oozing from my left shoulder and at the source a deep pulsating pain. I didn't need to see it to know I bore a deep wound there.

"Percy…. Percy… percy…" I could hear a voice shout my name in the distance

A spark of hope ignited within me.

"Here" I shouted instinctively, suddenly my vocal cords felt as though I'd taken an axe to them. But I didn't care I hadn't escaped tartarus to die on a beach.

"Here" I shouted again and somehow found the energy to lift my hand up and slap the ground, I light splashing filled the air as my hand connected with the thin line of water covering the sand.

"Please don't leave me" I whispered as tears streamed from my eyes as fear began to invade my every thought.

This person could very well decide whether I lived or died and there was nothing I could do about it.

"Percy thank the gods" came a silvery voice above me.

I'd know that voice anywhere, Arya.

I could feel her take my hand in hers as she cupped my cheek with her other. Her touch was incredibly soft as if she'd just placed a pillow beside my head.

"Percy i need to get you help" she said her voice trembling

"No please don't leave me" I managed croakily slightly tightening my grip on her hand, no longer able to hold the waves of fear back. My body was broken, I had no idea where I was and I was all but blind to my surroundings.

"ok, ok I'm not going anywhere" she replied softly stroking my hair back and out of my face

"We need some nectar over here now" she yelled trying her best to hide the panic probably for my sake.

Suddenly my legs went rigid and started shaking uncontrollably, the rest of my body followed suit seconds later. I tried to stop it but my brain was no longer in the driving seat, even coherent thoughts were becoming challenging.

"NECTAR NOW" Arya screamed as she tried to keep me still

"Ayra promise me you'll..." I choked out

"stop it you can't do this to me" she interrupted through sobs

I wanted to continue but a darkness was spreading across my mind and was quickly consuming my every thought and emotion. No matter how hard I tried to hold it back it continued to sweep effortlessly through my consciousness. I could hear a collection of voices above me but I no longer had the capacity to match them with their identity.

The last thing I could remember was a chocolate chip cookie flavoured liquid touching my lips before darkness finally took me.

 _I woke to the smell of sulphur in the humid air, beads of sweat started to form across my forehead for that smell would haunt me for the rest of my existence. It was the smell of Tartarus. A quick look around confirmed it, a barren wasteland filled with fire and ash stood before me in every direction. It was the field of punishment._

 _Suddenly a spine chilling shriek shattered the silence._

 _I didn't waste any time, I ran. I know not very hero like right. But that shriek belonged to a blood harpy, they were in charge of torture and punishment. I'd been on the receiving end of their torturous punishment to many times._

 _They would start by ripping your nails out if you were lucky, then they would slowly work their way up your limbs dismantling them bone by bone, ligament by ligament. They'd wait until you were begging for death before putting you back together only to repeat the process._

 _Many went insane after only a couple of sessions with the blood harpies, those that didn't just tried to forget._

 _I ran as fast as my body would allow but the shrieks kept getting closer. I could hear my blood pounding in my ears and my breaths were frantic and uneven but I didn't dare drop the pace. I glanced back, there was nothing there but I knew better than to trust my eyes. Tartarus itself was deceptive and fooling my eyes would be well within its ability._

 _Without warning something huge crashed into my back sending me fly forward. I hit the ground hard, I scrambled to my feet but the ground around me had began to spin beneath me. No sooner had i got to my feet a second force smashed into my chest sending me flying 20 or so feet backward._

 _My back slammed against an unforgiving rock as I hit the ground knocking the air out my lungs I gasped desperately to inflate my lungs. My eyes darted back and forth trying to identify my attacker but there was no one to be seen. I turned over onto my stomach and began crawling. I was an easy target out in the open I needed to find cover fast._

 _However an abrupt force hit my ribs sending me flying through the air sideway. I did my best to cushion my landing but it still felt as though I'd just driven into a concrete wall._

" _157680000… 2628000… 109500… 15642… 3599… 300…" repeated an impossibly deep voice_

 _I stumbled to my feet looking for the point of origin but it was coming from everywhere. I began to run but no matter how far or hard I ran the voice was just as loud and just as clear._

 _At first I thought the numbers were random but I couldn't help but feel they had some familiarity to them. By now I'd stopped running and slowed to a fast walk as I racked my brain for why the numbers were familiar. Then it clicked._

" _157680000 seconds, 2628000 hour, 109500 days… 300 years, it's my time spent in Tartarus" I whispered thinking aloud_

 _Suddenly the deep voice stopped repeating the numbers and there was silence._

" _One doesn't stay in Tartarus, one becomes part of Tartarus… there's only one escape from Tartarus" came the voice again_

 _I turned to run but there hovering right in front of me was a celestial bronze sword. Riptide to be precise. I could barely recognise it I hadn't seen it in so long, the furies had taken it on my first day in tartarus._

 _I backed away slowly but the sword sprang into life and rocked strait for my chest. I divided to the side but the sword adjusted course finding its mark with ease. The blade sunk deep into my chest. I expected pain, and lots of it, but I just felt numb as I landed on the hard ground. I wondered if this was how dying really felt, just numbness. Suddenly a shadowy figure dressed in raggedy black cloth loomed over me and before I even had time to think his foot connected with my head._

My eyes fluttered open still with the image of riptide buried in my chest at the forefront of my mind. The first thing I noticed was the absence of pain. My shoulder still ached and my stomach felt a little queasy but excluding that I felt fine. I sat up slowly and took in my surroundings.

I was lying on a sleeping bag in a clearing in some wood or forest. Around me lay five others and in the centre burned a small fire. On the sleeping bag next to mine lay Arya, her long golden brown hair waving slightly in the wind. A small smile tugged at the side of her flawless white face, she looked so peaceful sleeping.

Suddenly a hand came down on my shoulder making me almost jump out my own skin. I turned around to see Nick crouching down beside me. I'd known Nick the longest, 296 years to be precise. He was a son of Athena and he'd practically kept me alive in the early days of Tartarus. He was slightly taller than me and more muscly to, he had long scruffy blond hair and the signature grey eyes all Athenian children had.

He brought a finger to his mouth then gestured for me to follow. I got to my feet as quietly as I could and followed him away from camp. When we were ten or so meters away from camp he stopped and took a seat up against a large tree.

"so sleeping beauty is finally awake how you feeling" he whispered sarcastically

"I'm touched you find me beautiful" I replied with a grin

"Seriously man you better be better Arya's been a royal pain the ass" Nick taunted

"You mean she's actually worried about my health" I replied flatly

"you survived tartarus mate i think you can cope with a few life threatening injuries" he joked

"Alright stop stalling how long have I been out and where are the others"

"You've been out a week and there are no others we're all that made it" he replied solemnly

His words felt like knives in my heart. There should have been ten of us, that had been the plan all ten of us escape Tartarus.

"who...How" I asked tears threatening my eyes

"We mmm… didn't have as much time as we thought to get to the styx… jack and Amelia stayed behind to buy us the time we needed… then on our second night we were camping outside Columbus Ohio when a fury attacked, Jacob took it down with him" Nick finished, his head bowed slightly in shame

"It's not your fault Nick" I said wiping the tears from my eyes I'd known Jacob, jack and Amelia for decades in Tartarus losing them was like losing a brother or sister and I knew it was the same for Nick we were family.

"my plan out of Tartarus wasn't good enough I killed jack and Amelia" he said picking at the grass beneath him

"you want to blame someone, blame Hades there deaths are on him" I said placing a hand on his shoulder

A deep anger had begun to fester in my stomach at the news, the time we'd spent trapped in tartarus and the fury that had killed Jacob had all been Hades's fault. He was source of all this pain.

"You should go rest we should be at camp half blood by tomorrow" Nick stated standing

"Camp half blood?" I questioned doubtfully, would Dionysus and Chiron really allow 7 escapees ly low there

"it's the most sensible option to us, hopefully your name will have some sway if not we'll let Bella do the negotiation" he replied

Isabella was a daughter of Aphrodite. Like most of her sisters she was very beautiful, she had long blonde hair, a flawless complexion and piercing blue eyes. There was no argument she couldn't win and not just because of her charm-speak, the phrase stubborn as a mule wouldn't do her justice, but she was also patient and funny which made up for her stubbornness.

"Charm-speak won't work on Dionysus" I criticised

"Then we let the Fulcrum brothers have there fun either way we need a good couple of days to rest, and we need access to their armoury" Nick argued

The Fulcrum brothers were both sons or Aries but unlike most of their brothers and sisters they had brains to match the brawn. They were both built like brick houses and although they fought like dogs they could always be relied on to have your back in a fight. Which I'd found out many a time in tartarus.

"Alright camp half blood it is" I conceded and began walking back to camp

"Hey it's good to see you back on you feet" Nick said pulling me in for a manly hug

"Now go get some rest" he continued releasing me

"Alright see you in the morning" I said returning to my sleeping bag

It suddenly occurred to me, how did we have all this camping gear? We'd just risen from tartarus none of us had any money or drachma.

"how did we get all this camping gear" I whispered across camp at Nick

"Flynn has quick hands" Nick replied with a smile taking his seat as look out

Flynn was a son of Hermes, he had a similar build to me and the same dark hair but his eyes were hazel and he was an inch or so shorter. He had a good sense of humour and there was nothing he couldn't steal. Which made me kind of suspicious whenever I was around him, though he was the kind that didn't steal out of greed but for the sport itself which sat better with my conscience.

In our escape out of tartarus he'd been in charge of stealing the key to our cell, he'd taken three sessions with the blood harpies to acquire the key we needed to escape.

It was common knowledge round the group that he had a thing for Isabella, the two had a constant on off relationship which no one but them really understood.

I settled down on my sleeping bag looking up at the stars. It had been three lifetimes since I'd last seen the stars, they were more beautiful than i remembered, millions of them shining across the galaxy they somehow made my problem seem small in the vastness of it all.

In tartarus there were no stars even time doesn't work the same, no one ever ages or dies there, it's a place of eternal punishment, a place of torment, where your fears slowly madden you.

"Hey you" came a silvery voice from beside me

"Sorry did I wake you" I whispered feeling a little guilty turning onto my side to face Arya

"maybe... but we made it percy, we actually made it" she whispered a smile lighting up her face

god did she look pretty when she smiled

"Yeah we did" I whispered losing myself in her hazel doe eyes, in that moment the rest of the world just seem to fade away leaving just me and her in a perfect moment

"Space for another" she whispered finally interrupting the silence gesturing to my sleeping bag

"I dunno it looks like you've put on weight" I replied with a cheeky grin as I shuffled across making space for her

"shut it you or you'll be on the ground" she replied rolling over onto my sleeping bag

"You know you scared the life out of me when we arrived... I thought… I thought you weren't going to wake" she whispered into my chest so quietly I could barely hear it

"i'm not going anywhere" I replied softly wrapping my arms round her and placing a soft kiss on her forehead as she nuzzled her head in the crook in my neck

I let out a large yawn, my eyelids felt like lead and I slowly drifted off into a blissful sleep with Arya in my arms.


	2. A hero's welcome

"Percy" Nick yawned in acknowledgment as I took a seat with them round the dead fire

"Looks like someone had a good night's sleep" Flynn said with a smirk looking from me back to my sleeping bag where Arya still lay asleep.

"didn't know you'd be the jealous type" I retorted causally

"haha whatever man good to see your back on your feet" Flynn replied with a smile

"Hey wear these till your eyes adjust" Nick said throwing me a pair of black wayfarer sunglasses

"Where did we get…" I questioned but then I remembered who I was sitting next to, Flynn.

"Hey guilty as charged" Flynn said with a smile putting both hands in the air

"Got them from a store back in columbus, i'll pay the guy back… eventually" he continued

" I don't think you've ever payed for anything" Nick chimed in with chuckle

"I'll take that as a compliment" Flynn stated with a grin

"You're hopeless man" I said with a sigh

"This from the man who's spent the week sleeping" Flynn mocked playfully

"Talking of which should we wake them" I asked, the sky was already alive with reds oranges and yellows and soon the sun would be to.

"not yet there's no rush we should reach camp half blood by midday no problem" Nick stated taking out a map

"still we're sitting ducks until we can get our hands on some celestial bronze" Flynn responded

"He's right, we don't have one sword between us we should get moving" I supported

"Alright let's get them up then" Nick confirmed getting up

I walked over to Arya's empty sleeping bag and rolled it up before shoving it into a black backpack which I guessed was hers then walked over to my sleeping bag where she still lay sound asleep

"Hey beautiful time to get up" I said softly crouching down beside her

"already... i'll get packing" she yawn rubbing the sleep from her eyes

"I've already packed your stuff don't worry go get something to eat" I responded helping her up

"i could have done that myself" she challenged letting out another yawn

"I know but I've done nothing but sleep all week let me feel useful" I replied

"Alright" she conceded giving me a quick kiss on the cheek before heading over to the burnt out fire.

Packing didn't take long, between the seven of is all we owned were the cloths on our body seven sleeping bags a couple of rucksacks and the leftover food from Flynn's last corner store heist back in scranton. Five minutes and a rushed breakfast later and we were back on the move.

Despite Arya protests I carried my'n and her stuff which I'd managed to stuff into her black backpack. Nick was up front with the map then bella and Flynn then the fulcrum brothers and finally me and Arya covering the rear.

"Tell me about camp half blood" Arya asked taking my hand in hers

"what do you want to know" I replied, I knew Ayra had never made it to camp half blood or camp Jupiter. She didn't like to talk about it but I knew it bothered her that she'd never been to camp, that she'd never been claimed by her father whether that be Hermes, Aries, apollo or Hephaestus.

"I don't know… anything just take my mind of this walk" she asked

For the next hour I explained how the camp was and worked and answered most of her questions which were mainly about my personal experiences the forest became thinner and thinner until finally after three hours of walking the skyscraper of Manhattan could be seen through the gaps in the trees.

Seeing the skyscrapers reminded me of my mum,the blue pancakes she used to make me, how she was able to see the bright side in any situation, how she'd didn't care how many schools i was expelled from. A lonely tear rolled down my cheek, she'd be long dead by now, so would Tyson, Rachel and Annabeth and everyone else I knew. I'd had to make peace with their deaths long ago. Although time didn't work the same in tartarus there was still no way they'd be alive.

"Hey you ok" Arya asked giving my hand a gentle squeeze

"im Fine" I replied wiping the tears from my eyes with my free hand, now wasn't the time for me to get all sentimental

"Your mum used to live in Manhattan didn't she" she said sympathetically

"Yeah" I answered taking deep breath trying to hold back the tears

"She'd be proud of you" she stated giving my hand another reassuring squeeze

"i hope so" I said giving her my best smile

There wasn't much I could hide from Arya, after you've known someone for 250 years there's little they don't know about you. Truth be told she was probably the reason id escaped tartarus, she'd never let me give up. She'd given me hope that we could one day escape and live happily back on earth.

Soon the forest had disappeared entirely and were replaced with streets and houses as we worked our way through the outskirts of New York. The city was just as busy as I remembered, the roads were crammed with yellow cabs and cars whilst the pavement were filled with stampeding citizens.

I tightened my grip slightly round arya's hand to ensure she wasn't whisked away in the crowds of rushing people.

We passed through New York without incident and were soon on the road that lead to camp. As we got further from the city centre the roads became less busy and the houses either sides of were replaced again with pine trees until eventually the roads edges were lined with forests and we were the only people to be seen in either direction.

"Nick your a lier its midday and we're not there" Isabella complained looking up at the sun which now hung directly overhead.

"We're only about 10 minutes away" Nick shouted back

By now we were all tired of walking, my feet hurt and I'd only been walking less than a day I could only imagine how it was for the others who had been walking all day everyday for a week.

"you said that like 10 minutes ago" Arya sighed

"Everyone be thankful at least were not carrying Percies lazy ass" Flynn joked

"You never even carried him" Nick shouted back

"Yeah I had to deal with the worry struck Arya, trust me I had the heavier burden" Flynn retorted making Arya cheeks go red

"Bella your boyfriend is quite the gentleman" I said sarcastically

"He's not my boyfriend" Isabella mocked with a mischievous smirk

"Ouch that's gotta hurt" Nick laughed

"Shut up Nick" Flynn retorted but before he time for a comeback an unearthly ear piercing shriek filled the air behind us. In synchrony we all turned back around. It was to far away to make out fully but it was definitely flying towards us and it was definitely angry.

"it could just be a Harpy" Arya whispered hopefully

"Or a Fury" Isabella said cynically

"Run" I shouted pulling Arya into motion

"Into the tree's" Nick shouted running into the tree line

Leaves, twigs and branches started to fall to the ground around us as the monster fought against the tree canopy. High pitch Shrieks continued to rain down above us but Luckily the larger more sturdy branches kept it at bay as we weaved our way through the trees.

I could hear my pulse pounding loudly in my ears and my breath was ragged, all I could concentrate on was putting one foot in front of the other. Suddenly I could feel Nick holding me back, we'd reached the edge of the woods. There standing before us was a grassy hill about 50 meters long.

"Half blood hill" I managed between breaths, there at the top was the boundary of camp half blood.

All at once the shrieking above us stopped and the trees grew still. All that could be heard was the panting of breath and the wind whistling as it made its way through the tree's.

"It's a trap" Nick stated looking up at the half blood hill

"Obviously" Arya replied looking up trying to spot our flying pursuers

"So what do we do" Isabella asked looking at me and I suddenly realised so where all the others too. I'd of liked to have said some great elaborate plan in which all of us would have been safe at all times, but I couldn't. I only had one plan and it sucked.

"run for it and hope for the best" I said grimly

"i'm glad you not our tactician" Flynn responded sarcastically

"well if anyone has a better plan don't be shy" I offered really hoping someone would say something clever, but no one did.

"I guess we go on the count of three then" Nick concluded

We lined up on the very edge of the forest as if we were about to compete in a 100m race which I guess we sort of were, only the stakes of being slow was probably death.

"Together" Arya whispered taking my hand in her own

"Together" I replied a small smile tugging at my mouth, no matter how bad the odds seemed Arya always had a way of making it seem possible

A quick glance to my beside me and i noticed Flynn and bella holding hands too.

"See you at the top everyone" Nick stated, as butterflies filled my stomach

"three"

"two"

"one"

"GO" shouted Nick

We all burst into the clearing sprinting as fast as our bodies would physically allow, adrenaline coursing through every vein. From behind us came a cracking of branches then a deafening shriek.

We were halfway up the hill, I was still hand in hand with Arya but she was beginning to slow. Everyone else was ahead, the Falkrum brothers were only ten or so meters from the top along with Nick close behind.

"Arya look out" Nick yelled daring a look behind

"ARGHHH" came a scream from beside me and suddenly I no longer had Arya's hand in my'n which sent dread running through my every cell.

I glanced round and there it was less than a couple of meters away from me. A fully grown Fury with its talons buried in Arya shoulders. It had already begun to lifted her off the ground and was putting more distance between itself and the ground, In a split second decision I jumped for Arya, I missed her hand but my hands closed around her ankle.

"ARGHH" Arya screamed as the added strain of carrying me when through her body causing the fury's talons to dig further into her shoulders

The ground was getting further away I had to do something fast.

"Arya give me your hand" I yelled at the top of my lungs however most of my voice was lost to the wind

"I… I can't" she cried struggling against the furies vice like grip

"you've got to" I pleaded my grip around her ankle was failing and the fall by now would almost certainly be fatal

"Arghh" she wailed reaching down towards me, the Furies talons boring larger gashes in her shoulder as she did.

"You need to swing me towards the furies talons" I shouted as a plan began to materialize in my head

Arya nodded through teary eyes in acknowledgment and in one smooth movement I took Arya hand and she swung me up.

I almost lost my grip on the furies slimy skin but somehow I hung on. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath trying to calm myself before reaching out with my senses, I could feel the blood pumping round the fury, that was our ticket to freedom. I concentrated in on halting the flow of blood, I wasn't sure I could do it as technically poseidon's realm was the sea not liquids but it was all I had.

The fury began shrieking and thrashing around harder and harder until it was no longer able to maintain stable flight. My hands snapped shut and my eyes snapped open only to be showered in grey dust.

We were no longer flying but falling.

"Tell me there's a second part to this plan percy" Arya wailed as she plummeted down next to me

"Grab hold of me" I shouted wrapping my arms around her waist

"Close your eyes this might hurt" I ordered, luckily the fury had taken us out over the bay which meant maybe I could catch us in the ocean

"I love you" I yelled, holding her tight as I watch the ocean getting closer and closer

"I love you too" she said into my chest hugging me so tight I thought I might crumple under her grip.

Then the cold ocean depths came crashing into contact with us. Using all my power I was able to soften the blow but it still felt like we'd just jumped off a cliff.

As we sunk into the ocean depth my body seemed to recharge like I'd suddenly been connected to the mains. My vision was fuzzy at first but soon swam into focus.

Ayra was still in my arms but her eyes were closed and her body was limp. Panic ripped through me and threatened to paralyse me. Blood was free flowing from her shoulders turning her shirt a crimson red. That fall coupled with the blood loss must have been too much.

I put all my energy into creating a current that would take us to the shores of camp half blood and stopping the bleeding. She needed nectar and fast.

I could feel my ability to stop the bleeding fade as we came closer to shore and the ocean got shallower. Usually this would be way beyond my power, I was creating a current strong than any other on the planet whilst holding back a life threatening injury.

Finally I could feel sand beneath my feet, carrying Arya in my arms I bolted onto the beach. As soon as I was out of the tide line I carefully placed her on the ground. I could hear shouts in the distance but I ignored them and ran for the infirmary.

Shouts started sounding all around me, I didn't know what they were saying but I didn't care. The wooden hut of the infirmary came into view with an armed guard standing at the door. The guard was no older than myself and was dressed in leather armour with a sword at his hip.

"Sorry you can't…" he started stepping forward but a quick jab to the face sore him out cold

Beds lined each side of the room most empty but a few were occupied although none of their injuries seemed serious.

Next to each bed was a bedside stocked with a wide array of bottles. I ran to the closest bedside and started rummaging through the bottles, my hands were shaking so bad I could barely read the labels. Finally my hands came across a little red bottle which in small print round the cap read nectar.

"You can't be in here" came a deep voice from behind me

I quickly slipped the bottle in my pocket and swung around delivering a quick punch to the ribs then a hard kick to the chest sending the guard flying backwards.

I didn't waist anytime and began my return journey to the beach, the camp seemed to be alive now with people running everywhere. Most yelling and pointing at me but I didn't stop.

After what seemed like a lifetime I finally got back to Arya. A small pool of blood had started to gather around her and the colour had faded from her cheeks.

"Hang on Arya" I whispered taking out the nectar, my hands were so jittery that it was difficult to remove the cap but I did and carefully poured its contents into her mouth. Her breath was shallow and her pulse faint but she was still alive.

The talon puncher holes round her shoulders instantly began to close, but she still lay there pale and limp it would be a good couple of hours before she came back round. I took a seat beside her and let out a heavy sigh, my body still trembled slightly and tears threatened my eyes. That had been way too close.

A small group of camper dressed in battle armour were making there way towards me cautiously, each member brandishing their weapon. No doubt I'd have some explaining to do.

Ps. Not sure I like this chapter please let me know what you think because i may redo it


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